Year 13 Students receive prestigious EU award
Ten Year 13 students along with leaders Mr Herbert and Cllr. Lee Bates have received prestigious Youthpass certificates as a result of a youth exchange to Belarus in September.
The trip was organised by IVOLO (International Volunteering Organisation for Learning Opportunities) and young people from Sweden, Russia and Belarus itself also took part in the project which was funded with support from the European Commission, British Council and the Staffordshire County Council Community Fund.
The group went on a number of excursions and discovered the amazing natural beauty of the area they were staying in. Each partner country also hosted an evening devoted to their own culture. The Tamworth participants decked the stage in bunting and Union Jacks, acted out a rerun of the Royal Wedding, produced a slide show of images of the UK and played that typical English party game, Pass the Parcel!
However the main theme of the event was ecology and the environment. Young people from the different countries worked together to design and organise workshops with an ecological theme and also spent time discussing how young people can become more involved in these issues.
Headteacher Stuart Tonks commented, “The youth exchange in Belarus broadened the horizons of the young people involved. It was an amazing experience and has also helped our students in applications to University and employment. The Youthpass certificates they received today are an important recognition of their achievement and contribution.”
Cllr. Lee Bates said “The participants from Wilnecote High School were superb ambassadors for the school and indeed for our country. It was a pleasure to spend time with such mature and intelligent young people who were always willing to involve themselves enthusiastically in all of the activities”.
Elena Troitskaya from the hosting organisation said, “It was a pleasure to host such an enthusiastic group and we hope to visit to Tamworth in the near future after learning so much about the town and to continue to cooperate in the future.”
The students said “We would like to thank IVOLO for the opportunity to be involved in such a brilliant trip. We learned about different countries, made lots of new friends and had a wonderful time. It really was the trip of a lifetime”.
If you would like to find out more about how to get involved in future international youth exchanges please visit www.ivolo.co.uk
© 2012 Wilnecote High School
